We had a family day this week which included taking our spud to the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and a baseball game. The trip wouldn’t have been complete without a stop at Kung Fu Tea for my favorite; Taro Milk Tea with bubbles!

I’ll post a recap of the day soon, because the children’s museum was a huge hit. The adults (ahem, me) had about as much fun as the spud. And if you’ve never tried bubble tea your missing out! Double missing out if you’ve never had Kung Fu Tea.

Rodan+Fields: Before and After

Back to the topic at hand. I never thought I’d post my before and after photos. Really, I never thought I’d take an after photo, because I was so sure I wouldn’t have a need… I wasn’t expecting to see a difference. Still, I took a photo when I started using the Soothe regime back in February 2018.

It wasn’t pretty, I knew it wasn’t glamorous. Then last week I took another photo and was blown away by the difference.

Un-retouched

You Guys!!! This stuff is simply amazing! I knew it worked after just a short time using my regime and noticing lessened sensitivity and redness. I loved how soft my skin felt and have never experienced such smoothness. It was enough to keep me looking forward to washing my face, morning and night.

I transitioned to using Unblemish in the morning and Reverse Brightening at night about a month ago. My acne has improved almost 100%. Typically, i’ll experience two breakouts a month. This month I got one, just one (1) single pimple! Now my PJ’s can finally speak the truth:)

RF came into my life at the perfect time. I said YES to something for which I didn’t have high hopes of working. I was at an all time low with self-esteem since my skin was looking awful and I was struggling to lose baby weight. When this stuff worked for me, I knew I wanted to share it with anyone else who has ever wanted to improve instead of “maintain” their skin. Because that’s all I was doing pre RF, I was maintaining just to keep my acne, redness, and sensitivity from getting worse. Who else can relate? I know I can’t be the only one that felt like my body (holy aches and pains) and skin hyper-aged by at least decade during the postpartum period.

When it comes to feeding my toddler, it’s either a hit or a miss, never an in-between. I’m a vegetarian, my husband is meat eater. My toddler is a “whatever I feel like being tonight” kinda person. He does seem to take to the vegan/vegetarian meals much quicker than anything else, and of course he inherited his Mama’s sweet tooth.

I try to switch up the meals in our house, and introduce new flavors as often as I can get creative enough to think of something. Last night I had a craving for Coconut Curry and knew the Instant Pot would bring this dish to fruition.

You all, I winged it with this one… I didn’t follow a recipe, I made it up as I went along. My kid loved it, so this one is going in the books as a win.

Vegan Coconut Curry

1 Can – Heavy Coconut Milk

1 – 4oz can, Yellow Curry Paste

1 – Yellow Onion

2 – Medium Potatoes

1 – Yellow Pepper (I would use Green or Red if I were to do it over)

1 – Small can sliced Pineapples, well drained

1 cup – Green Beans

1 cup – Crinkle Cut Carrots

White Rice – I go with the easy to prepare microwave kind

Directions:

Chop the onions and salute in the Instant Pot with a bit of oil (I use Avocado oil). Once the onions are tender, mix in the curry paste, coconut milk, and about 8-10oz water. Add all other veggies and pineapple. Gently mix everything in the pot to combine all ingredients.

*Make sure not to cut the potatoes too small or they’ll disintegrate during the cooking process. Also, I eyed the amount of carrots and green beans I threw into the pot, so you may need a bit more or less depending on your preference.

I set the Instant Pot to the “Chili” setting and cooked it for 25 minutes. Careful, anything coming out of the Instant Pot is scorching hot!

We actually just got back from the jet plane, but you get my gist, right?

I was fortunate enough to be able to take my tot on a 3.5 week trip to visit family in Idaho. Last year we were able to take the same trip in August.

Now that i’ve done this twice, I felt more seasoned and prepared to take on solo travel with a baby. Here’s a few tips I wish I had been in the know of last year:

Take advantage of the freebies offered by most airlines. Delta allows a stroller/carseat to be checked for free! Doing this makes maneuvering through the airport a whole lot easier. My hands were jam packed last year, and carrying the stroller (in it’s travel bag) did not make my day any easier.

Snacks, Snacks, Snacks, and Snacks! Don’t skimp on the good stuff. I bought a bag of Chex for my kiddo to enjoy after we boarded the flight. But after the belly is full, you’ll need reinforcements.

Games/Toys/Technology. I found this gem at Toys R Us, and not only was it a hit during the flight, but it has save our sanity during many car rides.

Ergobaby for the win. If you into baby wearing, don’t forget your sling/carrier. Wearing your tot makes getting through both security and the airport gates so much easier.

Stop worrying about what everyone around you is thinking. You’ll most likely never see them again anyway. Most people are eager to lend a helping hand, and I have only once encountered the opposite end of the spectrum.

The Trip

It was great. We ate, walked, saw the sights, and drank way too much coffee. Seriously though, how lucky were we to be staying within a half mile of five different playgrounds? I also celebrated a birthday, woot woot!

Almost a month worth of photos would be too long a post to recap, so i’ll stick with one caption per photo. Your Welcome!

Fields of Canola. The beauty of these yellow fields graced the Palouse.When I say I enjoyed a coffee, I mean I enjoyed a coffee A day. Red Star has ice cream blends that are AHH-Mazing.Sweet Peaks Ice Cream in Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho. This huckleberry cone was worth writing home about.CDA Lake. Cold water, beautiful scenery.Emerald Creek Garnet Area. Is this not gorgeous? Check out my Instagram to see the spoils of labor from this day.A labor of love, for Garnets.Moscow Mountain. One Narrow, winding road with some fantastic views.Pullman, Washington – WSU Grizzly Bear research. The opportunity to see these creatures as close as the fence would allow.U of I Arboretum. There wasn’t a lack of photo ops here.Hello Arboretum!Huckleberries are a “thing” in North Idaho, and not taking advantage of the berry season would have been a shame. That ring was made out of one of the garnets I dug!If I can’t take Red Star with me, I’ll scoop up the same beans they put in their magical brews.If you’ve ever been curious what it’s like to change a poopy diaper on a plane? It’s a tight fit.

The day was June 13th and I made a decision that I swore I would never make… I joined an MLM.

Backing up to February, I saw a post on FB from one of the women in a Mom’s group; she had asked if anyone wanted to accompany her to a Rodan and Fields event. I had heard of the company, and saw great feedback from the products, but never actually invested in any. I volunteered myself, and told her that I wasn’t looking to join the business, but was interested in learning about the products. I swore to myself and out loud to my husband that I “Had no interest in being part of an MLM”. I had failed miserably at another MLM years before and didn’t want to put myself through the same embarrassment again.

My pregnancy glow had long faded and I was dealing with some major self esteem issues when it came to my blotchy, dry, irritated skin that had seemed to suddenly age 10 years once my son was born. And was still struggling to loose the baby weight to-boot. I NEEDED these products to work. I just wanted some sliver of my self confidence back, so I signed on as a PC (Preferred Customer), and placed an order for “Soothe”.

Within weeks committing to a daily/nightly routine with my brand spankin’ new face kit, and saw improvements that nothing before had been able to accomplish.

Fast forward four months and I wanted more! I contemplated daily on whether I wanted to continue buying as a PC or spread the word about something I knew I could stand behind. I was nervous, scared, excited, and then finally decided I was ready to jump in. I felt that if others could do it, why not me? I can advertise my results and tell people the honest truth, that these products work and they.

So here we are, I’m not a Rodan and Fields consultant, and let me tell you; I’ve got the best skin i’ve ever had because of these miracle products. If your even slightly curious or interested, get in touch with me, seriously! Don’t be like me and spend the better part of a year being “just curious”. This stuff rocks!

Being a SAHM can be tough, but wholly cow – making friends as SAHM is even harder. Whose with me?

I found myself getting down today after coming home from a day outside socializing, but was still left with the feeling that my efforts to make lasting, substantial friendships isn’t paying off. I know i’m not the only one who has this same dilemma. Out there somewhere are a ton of other moms left with the same feelings of wanting “girlfriends” and close bonds with other women, but still struggling to form those connections.

I’ve lived in this town for almost a year, and have made an honest tiring effort to get out and meet other moms. I’ve joined clubs, gone to events, smiled, started conversations, the whole shebang. I’ve made a few acquaintances but haven’t been successful in moving past this point into true bonded, pick-up-the-phone to simply “chat”, friendship.

I get down sometimes when I think about now having true close friends to hang out with, talk to, and share thoughts with. That feeling sucks. Then I remind myself that I have to keep pushing through and one day the efforts will pay off. A day out trying to mingle and get to know others, but leaving feeling like a failure doesn’t actually make me a failure. It doesn’t mean I failed. It all just means that I haven’t found my “tribe” yet. Yes, I said TRIBE. The one word that I hat hearing/seeing/saying. But there’s a lack of better words here ladies! Oh wait, i’m sorry… Squad?

Anyway, before this turns into a total depress-fest, let me finish by saying I still have faith that I will find my tribe/squad one day. Despite replaying conversations wondering if I’ve said something to offend or scare people off (“did I overshare, under-share”). That’s not the case. I’m a nice person, I care about others, and am 99% sure i’m fairly normal!

If your going through the same thing, keep your head up Mama. Your not alone and eventually we’ll both navigate our way through making friends as a SAHM.

Quick, easy, and delicious; These three ingredient No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites should be your next go to dessert when that sweet tooth strikes.

I love homemade sweets, but don’t always want (or have the time) to turn on the oven to get my fix. I was over the moon when I bit into one of these and immediately loved the smooth texture, and unique sweet taste. Even better, the recipe can be made over and over again with near limitless variations (by near limitless, I mean whatever cookies are in the cookie aisle)!

Check out the recipe below, because they are the perfect treat to whip up in a hurry.

Ingredients:

1 box Chips Ahoy cookies

8oz Cream Cheese (Softened)

1 bag either semi-sweet or white chocolate chips

What You’ll Need:

Medium mixing bowl

Large sturdy spoon – for mixing/stirring

Blender or large freezer bag

Small microwave safe bowl

Baking sheet

Foil or wax paper

First – Crush those cookies! The first time I made these bites I poured all the cookies into a freezer bag and crushed them using a wooden spoon. This yielded a bit more texture in the final product, which was still yummy. To get a super smooth consistency you should opt to use a blender if you’ve got one.

After you’ve finely crushed the cookies, transfer them into the medium mixing bowl and stir in the cream cheese. I took the easy way out and microwaved the cream cheese so it would easily glide through the cookie crumbs.

Make sure to mix everything until it’s well incorporated and there are no streaks of cream cheese. Things may look a little iffy at this point, but stick with it, the end result looks way better than what’s going on it that bowl right now.

Now pop the whole mixture into the freezer to firm up. It needs to be able to be formed into balls. I usually give it at least a half hour.

When you’ve got a firm enough consistency, go ahead and line your baking sheet (I had to use foil because I was out of wax paper, but either will work fine), and start rolling the mixture into whatever size “bites” you want. After your done the whole tray needs to be put in the freezer until they are solid (about an hour).

When the bites are solid take them out and get ready to drench them in chocolate. Pour chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat them in the microwave until it’s smooth and melty. It’s best to heat in intervals, mixing the chocolate as you go to ensure you don’t over do it. A double broiler works really well for this step if you’ve got one.

To save time, I choose to spoon the chocolate onto each bite rather than dip them. I got extra fancy and used both white and regular chocolate;)

Let the chocolate solidify, and then you can transfer them to whatever container you choose. That’s it! Super easy. Make sure to store the finished product in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for a cold and chewy delight.

Want to make Chocolate Birthday Dough Bites instead? Try it with these:

I made a few different batches using the birthday cake Oreos and another using regular Oreos. Both turned out fabulous and delicious. Enjoy!

No, there’s not a secret manual that’s handed out to mothers on the way out of the hospital. We’re not born with a how-to guide uploaded to our brains, ready to be accessed upon bringing baby home. There’s not a secret society of women that gather for “how to be the perfect Mom” classes, that Dad’s are just left out of.

Eight months into this blissful journey and i’m still learning, wondering if i’m doing everything right. Still working on getting into a sleep schedule. And still covered in some sort of substance (poop, spit up, baby food) on a daily basis. At the same time, being a Mom feels like an instinct. An instinct mixed with worry, fear, anxiety, and pure happy elation.

Worry – That those weird red splotches on my baby are some sort of life threatening rash that may need to be address immediately by the Center For Disease Control. The short answer, no. It’s just eczema and nothing a little Aveeno couldn’t handle.

Fear – That you will never sleep again. Update: Still not sleeping through the night:( But holding that little bundle in my arms at 1am in those footie pajamas is pure bliss.

Anxiety – From sleep deprivation. Enough said.

Pure Happy Elation – That you made a PERSON. The world was right, this is the kind of love that continues to grow with each day.

Welcome to Perfection Not Guaranteed. I’m an average Mom and sometimes stay in my PJ’s all day.

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